


To Challenge Fate

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Angst, Character Development, Family Bonding, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Relationships, Multi, Polyamory, Set Right What Once Went Wrong, Three Amigos, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-20
Updated: 2014-06-20
Packaged: 2018-02-05 12:40:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1818889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If it weren't for his sympathies to Minerva and his friendships with Lucina and Inigo, he would have stayed alone in the grim future. But along the way, he'll learn that the bonds between family and friends just may be stronger than fate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Challenge Fate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Aeriel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeriel/gifts).



Somehow, it always came back to the three of them.

He only knew Lucina through Frederick, who faithfully served Lord Chrom. Inigo was the son of his mother's employer. But somehow, after the chaos settled in and Chrom died, the three of them wound up gravitating towards each other. They weren't the prettiest crowd, either; Lucina had become solemn and regretful over the death of her father, while Inigo couldn't stop chasing every girl he ran across.

As for Gerome, he'd always been on the quiet side. Wyvern Valley wasn't overly social; he'd grown up among his parents and the wyverns they tended to, only visiting Ylisse when his father became homesick for Chrom's company. Lucina and Brady were good enough company, especially Lucina, but Father placed Chrom on such a high pedestal that Gerome wondered if it was okay to play so casually with Chrom's children.

When Chrom died, it was the beginning of the end. Some parents went off to fight and never came back, others gave their lives to protect their children. One day, Mother and Father left and only Minerva came back; Gerome had cried and refused comfort from her, angry at her for not protecting his parents. Eventually he forgave her and began to rid her, overcoming the last lingering traces of acrophobia.

He made his mask a week after his parents' deaths. Too many living parents and the other children had pitied him while he cried, and he never wanted to feel that weak again. So he wore the mask to hide his eyes, and to hopefully keep everyone else away.

When the last parent died, he'd successfully shut off every emotion. The others had more or less gotten used to the mask, though it didn't stop Severa or Owain from asking dumb questions or demanding he take it off on a regular basis. Laurent and Lucina were the only ones who didn't ask questions or stare, and Inigo learned to back off rather quickly thanks to Lucina's scoldings.

Maybe that was why he ended up as close to them as he did. Lucina was their leader, he had no problem talking to her about important matters, but Inigo had overcome his shyness in the worst way possible; none of the girls in their little band wanted him near them anymore. Except for Lucina. Somehow, she tolerated his stupidity. And Inigo seemed to bother her less than he did other girls.

So they stuck together, a trio of awkward and grieving misfits. The day Lucina announced she was going back into the past, Inigo cried and Gerome bit back his sadness. It was a bad idea, he wanted to warn her, you couldn't change fate no matter what you did. But he lent her his mask, she gave each of them and her brother a hug, and prepared to do the impossible.

"She'll do it," Inigo said. "Lucina can do anything! She's the princess of Ylisse!"

"Even a princess can't fight fate." Gerome turned away, refusing to let even his close friend see his bare face. "It's useless. She'll only come back heartbroken and in tears."

When it came time for the rest of them to join Lucina in the past, Minerva's cry was the only thing to stop his adamant refusal in its tracks. She was the last living wyvern, it didn't feel right to let her continue to be. Without a word, he joined them and allowed Naga to work her ridiculous magic.

When they were separated along the way, he tried not to care.

 

"Sir, over here! Please help! My friends will die if you don't!" The villager waved his arms frantically and Gerome turned away, refusing to feel guilty or bothered.

"I'm not fit to fight for anyone," he said, and flew away, letting the rush of the wind chase away what the man yelled after him. Move forward, keep going, help Minerva find the still-living wyverns. Then...

_Then what? Return to the world Naga so graciously let you escape? Sit quietly back and watch everything burn while your friends are fighting to change everything?_ But that was the point, fate _could not be changed._ Even if he died, he would die a sensible man. He would be able to say that until the end, he'd never once fooled himself.

_Will you, though?_

Suddenly, voices and the flapping of wings and the sound of hoofbeats surrounded him. A man with blue hair- _Chrom!_ Then Lucina and Inigo must be...

_No. If you see them, you'll only miss them more when it's time to go back._ But then someone was flying up beside him-no, two someones. A woman on a wyvern and a man sitting behind her, holding onto her waist with a level of familiarity.

"You're not a villager...ah, a fellow wyvern rider! Good! Let us fight together to keep the villagers alive," the woman said.

"Why? No man can stop fate." The villagers were outnumbered and unarmed, the enemy would have their way and see them dead in the dirt soon enough. But the woman and the man persisted and he sighed, giving in and flying out to join them. He tried to block out the sounds of their comrades, tried to-

"Inigo! Look out!" _Lucina!_ Without thinking he flew over to the pair and thrust his axe up to block the sword about to strike. Inigo looked sharper, more focused than Gerome was used to, and Lucina no longer wore the mask. But it was _them_ and his foolish heart soared with relief.

"Gerome!" Lucina smiled. She'd tucked her hair back again and wore a different suit of armor, but she still carried Falchion by her side and he'd never miss the brand in her eye. "It's good to see you again."

"We found about half of us!" Inigo added. He, on the other hand, merely looked older. Some people would never change no matter how much time passed. "Owain and Severa are here, and Brady and Kjelle and Cynthia. And we're gonna look for the others next!"

"I hear there's a war going on in Valm," Gerome said. "I imagine that would be more important than finding old playmates."

"The war is Father's domain, though he did promise to help in our search for our friends," Lucina said.

"Indeed." Inigo ran a hand through his dusty hair. "Gerome, will you fight with us? It'll be just like the old days."

"Very well." He took his place beside Lucina. "There's safety in numbers, and Father would have a fit if something happened to Lucina. ...and keeping Inigo out of trouble is a two-person job."

"Hey!"

The rest of the battle was a blur, and soon they were standing in an empty field with three villagers alive and well. There was nothing to be done about the others. The remaining villagers thanked Chrom and his Shepherds, Lucina beamed, Inigo wandered off to bother Severa and Gerome sighed with relief as he slipped away from the crowd.

"Excuse me. Do you have a moment?" He sighed, turning around to face the couple from earlier. The woman had a childlike smile on her face. "I was hoping you might introduce me to your wyvern. I'd like very much to see which one's cuter!" Of all the ridiculous things, that had to be the most ridiculous. But he sighed, dismounting and standing back.

"As you wish." And the woman began to squeal and coo over Minerva before gasping and turning back to him.

"Why, they look almost _identical!_ " And the truth he'd been forcing back since he'd first seen the pair pushed its way through.

"That's because they are one and the same."

"But...how is that possible?" the man asked.

"You could examine her from tip to tail looking for scars and marks if you like, or..." Gerome dug something from deep within his pocket, so well-hidden he'd actually forgotten it was there. "You can look at this ring."

"Oh!" The man gasped. "Cherche, that's..."

"Yes, it is, Frederick," Cherche said, "I know that ring. Gerome, you came back with Lucina, didn't you? That would make you-"

"I am. But I didn't come back to meet you," he said coldly. "I came back to release Minerva into the wild, to avoid the solitude of being the last of her kind back home."

"Such a kind person," Cherche murmured. "Minerva is lucky to have someone like you." She stepped forward to put a hand on his shoulder, and he backed away as if her touch were poison.

"I have no intention of getting close to either of you," he said, turning away. "Fate will not be mocked. This war could claim your lives anew and I will not weep twice for the same parents. Minerva, let's go." And like before, he flew away before either of them could say another word, blocking out anything they may have yelled after him.

 

Against his better judgment, he stayed with the Shepherds. He would have left if Lucina hadn't caught up with him and Inigo hadn't begged him to stay, and he wondered just how he'd let their words sway him so. That night, Cynthia called for a "welcome back, Gerome" toast over venison, something Lucina told him to get used to.

It still felt pointless. Fighting for a cause that was hardly theirs, trying to defy a fate written in stone. He tried to avoid his parents as much as possible, refusing to refer to them as Mother and Father anytime they managed to trap him in a conversation. These young, smiling, _living_ people weren't the man and woman who rode off the battle and never came home.

"You can't just keep avoiding them," Inigo said one day as they sat by the river, filling the canteens. "Sooner or later you're going to have to talk to _one_ of them."

"Why? These people aren't my parents," Gerome said. "They're too young to have a child my age."

"Your mother could already be pregnant with you at this point," Inigo said. "None of us are _that_ much younger than Lucina, except for maybe Nah." Gerome rolled his eyes beneath the mask.

"Then she's an idiot for taking part in the combat."

"Lady Maribelle came along for the fight while Lucina is still an infant back at the palace, I hear," Inigo said. "Don't rule out the possibility."

"There _is_ none." He gathered the full canteens and stood up. "I'm going back to camp, and then I'm going to do some training. If you wish, we can spar."

"Of course!" Inigo smiled. "And perhaps later, we can-"

"For the last time, no. You've asked me five times to be your wingman, and I've said no five times. What makes you think I'll say yes this time?"

"Persistence, determination...the fact that neither of us has anything to do later tonight." Inigo lowered his eyelids, trying to look smooth and dashing. He looked more foolish than anything.

"Persistence should be saved for things that matter."

"Just this once, Gerome! Please?"

" _No._ " He sighed. "Just finish filling the rest of those canteens, you're such a slowpoke." Talking to Inigo was as frustrating as it could be refreshing. How he'd ever become close to a vapid male floozy was beyond him, and he didn't want to admit that it felt comforting to argue over such trivial matters.

 

Talking to Lucina was usually easier. Not by much, but at least she didn't ask him for ridiculous favors. Except for going back in time to change fate, of course. Talking about it was never easy, he held back most of his feelings while she tried to understand his.

"I went shopping with my mother again today," she said as she sliced carrots for that night's dinner. "I still can't find the right dress for her...I don't remember her being so picky." Actually, most women would turn down Lucina's...strange idea of what constituted the right dress, but Gerome had never felt it his place to point out her lack of fashion sense. That was Severa's job.

"I see," he said. "Minerva and I scouted ahead. The Valmese are suspiciously quiet tonight."

"At least we have time to plan a strategy against them," Lucina said. "Not like the Risen back home."

"I suppose." He watched her nimble hands cut the carrots into near-perfect slices; she was no Noire when it came to the kitchen, but years of swordwork had at least rendered her skilled with a knife. "Lucina, I..." _I still think this is crazy, it bothers me when you call Lady Maribelle 'mother', when you speak as though our being here changes things. We could still fail, and I don't want to see you heartbroken when we do._

"Yes?" She paused in her work and turned to him, and he lost his nerve again. That face, those eyes, the girl he'd become so attached to...how could he say such things? Even if she knew how he felt, she'd put all her hopes into this gambit. She wasn't a fragile flower who couldn't handle a little criticism, but this was so important to her. What right did he have to tell her it was wrong?

"I...just wanted to say I look forward to eating what you're preparing," he mumbled. "If there's anything you need help with, let me know."

"Thank you, Gerome." She smiled, went back to her work, and he sighed.

_All her hopes, pinned on a gambit that's going to fail. Fate can't be changed._

It couldn't.

 

Laurent joined them only a few days later, and it turned out he'd been waiting for them for well over five years. It certainly explained how he seemed older even than Lucina.

Laurent was another person he trusted. Felt he could speak with, understood his feelings. Laurent believed in Lucina's cause, but he knew as well as Gerome did that it could fail and they'd be mourning their parents all over again when Grima awakened. They talked fairly often, Laurent shared fruit with him during a Harvest festival in the Outrealms, and Gerome would offer Laurent a ride during the longer marches.

It was different from his relationship to Inigo and Lucina. Simpler, less complicated. He knew why he and Laurent were friends, both kept others at arm's length and tried to put forth a mature face. They knew and accepted each other's boundaries and felt comfortable together as a result.

"Do you ever wonder what else will change if we succeed?" Laurent asked him one night. It was dark and foggy, the only light coming from the campfire's dying flame. Gerome glanced toward his friend, surprised by the question.

"I don't think we _will,_ so I never thought that far ahead," he said. "Why?"

"I'm half my father's age. What happens when the new me is born? I barely had time to spend with my father before his death, only about seven years' worth, and he's halfway through his life expectancy," Laurent said. "Should he die while the new me is still relatively young, would that still be considered a failure or merely nature at work?"

"What a strange question." Both of Gerome's parents were still on the young side, even at the end when things became unbearably stressful, he couldn't imagine them old and wrinkled. "Laurent, you of all people should know better."

"I do, and yet the question still came to me." Laurent smiled sadly. "I suppose I should spend as much time as possible with him, just in case."

"Hm."

"And Gerome...perhaps you should make more of an effort with your own parents. In the end, weeping twice for losing the same mother is still better than guilt for rejection of her and your father's love."

 

The final battle with Walhart was brutal. Gerome took part, of course, as did his parents and Lord Virion's family. It was a good thing every healer they had insisted on being there, with all the injuries and close calls.

Gerome and Lucina fought side by side, Lucina protecting him from arrows and wind spells and Gerome flying in to intercept any lancers headed her way. Inigo had elected to help his parents this time, knowing Virion would appreciate the support as he and Olivia charged their way through to Walhart.

Excellus went down fairly quickly, Cervantes proved to be more of a challenge, but it was the constant flood of reinforcements that were the biggest concern. He watched Yarne display unusual courage, refusing to leave Brady's side as he ripped apart enemy after enemy. Nah allowed Cynthia to ride on her back and fire spells. Owain's father had to be pulled back by his wife's rescue staff at least twice to avoid being killed before he knew when to back out.

He couldn't find his own parents anywhere until he heard a scream, followed by a shrieking roar and the sound of an axe cutting through flesh. When the dust cleared, he saw an armored figure lying motionless on the floor among splatters of blood and three dead enemy soldiers.

"Oh, Gerome..." Lucina went pale and squeezed his hand tightly, and he found himself squeezing back as he forced himself to look away. Frederick, barely alive, was taken from the battlefield to the healers' tent, and Cherche distracted herself by flying over to aid Virion.

Gerome shook his head, helping Lucina up onto Minerva. He didn't want to look at where his father had fallen, didn't want to see all that blood. He realized only now what Laurent had been trying to tell him that night, and for all he knew it was too late.

 

Thankfully, his father's wounds weren't as deadly as everyone had feared. He'd lost a lot of blood and was still unconscious, but Libra, Lissa and Maribelle had been able to stabilize him. Cherche was asleep beside the bedroll in the healers' tent, refusing to leave his side.

Lucina and Inigo followed him into the woods, even after he'd asked to be left alone. He didn't have the energy to shoo them away. Lucina came up and placed a hand on his shoulder, her face gentle.

"Gerome, it's going to be okay. He's alive."

"Barely," Gerome mumbled. "I...I was so _cold_ to him. Not like you going out of your way to spend time with your father, Lucina, or the way Inigo and his father are peas in a pod." He swallowed. "Laurent tried to warn me this might happen."

"You were quite cold, yes. But it wasn't the frost that would have killed him," Inigo said. "And it wasn't the enemy, either. Your father isn't an easy man to take down! Of all my vague memories of Ylisse-"

"But he was. I remember when my parents would be gone for weeks and I'd stay up worrying all night only for them to come home before dawn. That last day, I only waited a few hours. It only took the enemy a few hours to end both their lives." Gerome felt his eyes stinging behind the mask, and he turned away. "This is why I didn't want to go back."

"But you're not weeping twice for the same parents," Lucina said. "He lives, Gerome."

"Next time he might not be so lucky. Fate will not be-"

"Stop." Inigo shook his head. "Just stop." And Gerome expected anger, a lecture on how childish and idiotic he was being. Severa, Kjelle, Owain, Brady-they'd never been shy about telling him off for his negativity, he'd hardly be surprised if Inigo finally snapped and joined them.

But no words followed, just a stifling, bone-crushingly awkward hug. Another pair of arms followed, and Gerome felt the mask begin to slip a little.

"Everything's going to be fine," Inigo said.

"I know it's hard to believe, especially after seeing what we have," Lucina murmured. "But Naga wouldn't have sent us back if she didn't believe we could change things. And we _will._ I'll never let us fail."

"You don't have to deal with everything alone," Inigo added. "Even if you don't feel like smiling, it's okay. We're here for you."

He relaxed, hugging them back as tightly as he could.

"Never leave," he whispered. "I want that as your promise. Don't ever leave."

Later that evening, he paid a visit to his parents. After spending fifteen minutes trying to figure out what to say to Frederick, he settled on nothing, simply taking the man's hand and squeezing tightly.

"I'm glad you're safe."

 

Things only changed slightly following Frederick's brush with death. Lucina began to smile more, Inigo let them see his true face, and Gerome made more of an effort to reach out to people. Taking Laurent's words to heart, he found himself actually going out of his way to spend more time with them.

"Good work, Gerome," Frederick said as they lowered their weapons. "Your skill with the spear has improved since our last spar." Gerome nodded, still refusing to smile where his father could see it.

"I suppose I owe that to your advice," he said. "It feels more natural in my hand, not quite as much as my axe, but I no longer feel like it's going to slip from my grasp."

"And with more practice, it will be an extension of your arm." Frederick smiled. "You're growing stronger every day, Gerome. I've never been prouder." A tiny smile flickered at the corners of Gerome's mouth, and he let it happen.

"Thank you, father. Er, _Frederick._ " But it was too late, Frederick had already heard and Gerome soon found himself trapped in a bear hug. "T-that's too _tight!_ "

He learned a lot about his parents in the weeks that followed. His mother, almost becoming a priest until she met and tamed Minerva at the tender age of nine. His father's aversion to large beasts due to nearly being mauled by a bear in his childhood. How they met, their mutual friendship with Lord Virion, their passions outside the knighthood. How they'd fallen in love.

They were more than a pair of dead heroes, even more than his mother and father. They were _people._ In spite of everything, it relieved him to know this.

 

As the final stretch of their war became more and more fraught with drama, the trio found themselves clinging to each other more than ever. At its nadir, it seemed their nightmares were going to come true; Lucina lamented their failure while Inigo bit his lip to keep from crying, all Gerome could do was hold them and try to stifle his own fears. He never knew what true relief could feel like the moment Khan Basilio burst into the room, declaring his death and Robin's temporary betrayal to have been an elaborate hoax as Validar fell to his knees weeping with rage.

But that relief was only temporary when a doppelganger of Robin revealed herself to be the face of Grima.

"It's all over," Lucina whispered as she held a sobbing Brady in her arms. The fell dragon's roar pierced the sky, and everyone trembled in horror. "Grima..."

"We can still stop him." Robin smiled, unveiling the Fire Emblem. "I stole it once. The least I could do was steal it back!" Everyone gasped, even Brady looked up and stopped crying at the sight of the treasure, thought to be lost forever. _Of course,_ Gerome thought. _The gemstones were fake, and Validar is dead..._

"Robin, you sly cat..." Chrom turned to the army. "Everyone! We make haste for Mount Prism now. Time to stop Grima and bring about the _true_ future!"

"Oh, Father!" Lucina smiled as she and Brady hugged Chrom and Maribelle tightly. "You were right. Robin...I'm sorry I ever doubted you." Robin's smile became a grin as she put a hand on Lucina's shoulder.

"Anything can change, right?"

It was then that Gerome realized how wrong he'd been from the very beginning. He glanced at Minerva, and if wyverns could smile he was sure she would be doing so at that moment.

 

When it was over, it felt like he was dreaming. It hadn't been an easy end, Grima was strong and it had taken Robin's brave sacrifice to truly end it. Everyone had been surprised when Lon'qu stood up to toast his wife's selfless courage that night at dinner, despite the pain etched on his face there was no mistaking the pride in his tone.

"She'll be back," Lucina said. "Somehow I don't believe she's gone forever."

"Of course!" Inigo's ever-present smile faded a bit. "I will miss her in the meantime, though. She was a good friend to everyone. If it hadn't been for her quick thinking, many of us might have died."

"Thanks to her, the future we fled from is no more," Gerome said. "On the downside, this means we have no home to return to."

"I wonder what will happen when the new versions of us are born," Inigo mused. "If they even are...can we coexist with our younger selves? Will we disappear like Robin did?"

"Will our child selves feel inadequate compared to us?" Lucina sighed. "I'd hate to think of the infant Lucina thinking she could never do anything as remarkable as we have. Perhaps..."

"...we shouldn't intefere," Gerome finished. "Changing our future is one thing, but our younger selves deserve to grow up without our legacies hanging over their heads."

"Right." Inigo nodded. "In order for them to grow up happy and peaceful, we must bow out gracefully." He smiled, putting an arm around Lucina and taking Gerome's hand. "All of us. Together."

"As friends, or..." Lucina blushed. Gerome wasn't ignorant of the feelings that had seemed to be growing between them, but they were mild at best, and he'd been too focused on the war to think about how a romance could work. It didn't matter, though, by now he knew their bond was unbreakable regardless of what developed in the future.

"We'll see what happens," he said. "But from now on..." He brought his free hand up to his face and touched the mask. By now it was like a part of his body, but the time had come to let it go. With the future secured, he no longer needed to hide from them. The rush of cool air hit his sweaty skin, and he blinked against the bright light of the sun. He slipped the mask into his pocket, and Lucina and Inigo both gasped.

"Gerome..." Inigo grinned. "If I'd known you looked that good under the mask, I would have tried harder to make you my wingman!"

" _Inigo,_ " Lucina cautioned playfully. Inigo hadn't talked about picking up dates for a long time, but only Naga knew if he'd given it up for good. "You're right, though. Gerome...we want to see that face all the time from now on."

"I...I will try." He still felt wrong without it, but for their sake he would do his best. "...so where will we go?"

"It's strange," Lucina said. "We've seen so much of the world, but never really _seen_ it...maybe we should just go from here and see where life takes us?"

"A trio of wanderers!" Inigo laughed. "I like that!" Gerome smiled a little.

"I suppose..." A roar interrupted their conversation and he realized he'd left Minerva in the stables longer than he'd intended. "But first, I must attend to Minervy-er, Minerva." He'd forgiven Frederick for bearing witness to that gaffe, but only because he'd sworn it would never happen again. At least among others.

"And we should pack bags, too," Lucina said. As she and Inigo went to gather their belongings, Gerome went to the stables to free his faithful friend. Minerva, too, would be relieved to escape her other self. Possibly. He didn't even know if she cared.

"Looks like you're not the last of your kind after all, Minervykins," he murmured, stroking her scales. "And...to be honest, I never wanted to release you into the wild. It would have been the right thing to do, but you were all I had left in that time. We'd been through too much together." Minerva roared softly, and Gerome smiled. "We're not alone anymore."

That evening, they set off with Lucina and Inigo towards a destination unknown. No thoughts given to fate, destiny or anything that might weigh them down.

If they could stop a fell dragon from destroying the world, they could do anything.

**Author's Note:**

> It's up to you to decide if they become a real OT3 or just BFFs who travel together. It was originally going to be just Inigo and Gerome, but Lucina kinda found her way in there. And of course there had to be a bit of Laurent, because I feel he and Gerome can relate to each other on a different level.
> 
> Originally the Robin pairing was going to be Kellam. But then I decided the ending would flow better if Robin went through with the sacrifice, which I can never bring myself to do in Robin/Kellam scenarios. So I swapped him out for Lon'qu. (Fun fact, Lon'qu was almost Inigo's father until I decided Gerome and Inigo's connection would be interesting if Inigo was Virion's kid)
> 
> And yeah, the "someone has to get hurt to make someone else give a damn about them" cliche is old hat, but considering how stubborn Gerome is it'd take something big like that to get through to him.
> 
> Finally, Cynthia totally does toasts over dinner anytime a new kid is recruited. :)


End file.
